Depression

As part of our You Asked For It series, someone asked that I speak on depression. This is a huge issue inside and outside the church. From my own experience, the church either ignores depression or misunderstands it so badly that it makes the person's experience worse. It is important that Christians seek to understand depression to reach out to those who suffer from it. I looked at three types of people who might be called depressed. First of all there are pessimists who choose to see the worst in every situation. I have been in this category. This requires a change of perspective and a choice to look at things positively. Secondly there are the situationally depressed. A bad diagnosis, the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, all of these can lead to depression. This is completely normal. Read the Psalms or Lamentations, there is no sin in mourning or grieving a significant loss. What is important is that you find someone to talk to and that you watch to see some improvement over time. Finally there are the clinically depressed that suffer from a bio-chemical imbalance. Often the clinically depressed require medication. There is no shame in this. We expect diabetics and epileptics to take medication, why not those with a chemical imbalance?

I then took a look at the story of Elijah from 1 Kings 19. Elijah displays the classic signs of depression including despair, fatigue, loss of appetite and lack of drive. God pursues Elijah but does it gently. God reveals His presence in the silence and gives Elijah a task suitable to his situation. This is a great model for the church to reach out to those who are depressed. Gently pursue such people, not with explanations or arguments with our simple presence, perhaps even in silence. We should also consider helping them find some sort of purpose or task. Whatever we do, we must acknowledge that this is a major issue and we must be willing to do something. For the next couple of weeks my message both text and audio can be found at www.meafordbaptist.ca.